The Guns of August

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.

The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade

From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.

Jefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Forged a Nation

The decade of the 1790s has been called the age of passion. Fervor ran high as rival factions battled over the course of the new republic - each side convinced that the others' goals would betray the legacy of the Revolution so recently fought and so dearly won. All understood as well that what was at stake was not a moment's political advantage, but the future course of the American experiment in democracy. In this epochal debate, no two figures loomed larger than Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

The Coming Fury: The Centennial History of the Civil War, Volume 1

>The New York Times hailed this trilogy as “one of the greatest historical accomplishments of our time”. With stunning detail and insights, America’s foremost Civil War historian recreates the war from its opening months to its final, bloody end. Each volume delivers a complete listening experience. The Coming Fury (Volume 1) covers the split Democratic Convention in the spring of 1860 to the first battle of Bull Run.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the iconic figures of the 20th century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress. When he proposed international controls over atomic materials, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb, and criticized plans for a nuclear war, his ideas were anathema to powerful advocates of a massive nuclear buildup during the anti-Communist hysteria of the early 1950s.

Caesar: Life of a Colossus

Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Julius Caesar's life, Adrian Goldsworthy covers not only the great Roman emperor's accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar's character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some 2,000 years later.

The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan

In January of 1973 Richard Nixon announced the end of the Vietnam War and prepared for a triumphant second term - until televised Watergate hearings revealed his White House as little better than a mafia den. The next president declared upon Nixon’s resignation “our long national nightmare is over” - but then congressional investigators exposed the CIA for assassinating foreign leaders. The collapse of the South Vietnamese government rendered moot the sacrifice of some 58,000 American lives.

Gettysburg

Best-selling author and acclaimed Civil War expert Stephen W. Sears, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “arguably the preeminent living historian of the war’s eastern theater,” crafts what will stand the test of time as the definitive history of the greatest battle ever fought on American soil. Drawing on years of research, Sears focuses on the big picture, capturing the entire essence of the momentous three day struggle while offering fresh insights that will surprise even the best versed Civil War buffs.

The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War

The Arsenal of Democracy tells the incredible story of how Detroit answered the call, centering on Henry Ford and his tortured son Edsel, who, when asked if they could deliver 50,000 airplanes, made an outrageous claim: Ford Motor Company would erect a plant that could yield a “bomber an hour”. Critics scoffed: Ford didn’t make planes; they made simple, affordable cars. But bucking his father’s resistance, Edsel charged ahead.

The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl

The dust storms that terrorized America's High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since, and the stories of the people that held on have never been fully told. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and author Timothy Egan follows a half-dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region.

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

Gifted storyteller Winston Groom, the best-selling author of Forrest Gump, has written the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight: Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond, including daring military raids and survival at sea, and will appeal to fans of Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, and Flyboys.

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

This is a sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans, and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on America. Lawrence Wright's remarkable book is based on five years of research and hundreds of interviews that he conducted in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, England, France, Germany, Spain, and the United States.

A Moveable Feast

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works. It is his classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s, filled with irreverent portraits of other expatriate luminaries such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein; tender memories of his first wife, Hadley; and insightful recollections of his own early experiments with his craft.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to previously untapped data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.

The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach

A white-knuckle account of the First Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach - acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle. Nicknamed the Big Red One, First Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever.

Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution

Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord.

The Company: A Novel of the CIA

"If Robert Littell didn't invent the American spy novel," says Tom Clancy, "he should have." In this spectacular Cold-War-as-Alice-in-Wonderland epic, Littell, "the American le Carre," takes us down the rabbit hole and into the labyrinthine world of espionage that has been the CIA for the last half-century. "Ostensibly a single novel, The Company can also be listened to as an anthology of cracking good spy stories," says (Publishers Weekly).

Hiroshima

A journalistic masterpiece. John Hersey transports us back to the streets of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 - the day the city was destroyed by the first atomic bomb. Told through the memories of six survivors, Hiroshima is a timeless, powerful classic that will awaken your heart and your compassion. In this new edition, Hersey returns to Hiroshima to find the survivors - and to tell their fates in an eloquent and moving final chapter.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

The ordeal of the whaleship Essex was an event as mythic in the nineteenth century as the sinking of the Titanic was in the twentieth. In 1819 the Essex left Nantucket for the South Pacific with 20 crew members aboard. In the middle of the South Pacific the ship was rammed and sunk by an angry sperm whale. The crew drifted for more than 90 days in three tiny whaleboats, succumbing to weather, hunger, and disease and ultimately turning to drastic measures in the fight for survival.

The Day of the Jackal

One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who in, the spring of 1963, was hired by Colonel Marc Rodin, operations chief of the O.A.S., to assassinate General de Gaulle.

Middlemarch

Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon’s mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment.

The Story of Human Language

Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct.

Lee: The Last Years

Robert E. Lee, one of the most famous figures in American history, vanished after his dramatic surrender at Appomattox. In fact, he lived only another five years, during which time he did more than any other American to heal the wounds between North and South during the tempestuous postwar period.

The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley

In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.

Publisher's Summary

The world will never see another peace conference like the one which took place in Paris in 1919. For six months, the world's major leaders - including Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, David Lloyd George, prime minister of Great Britain, and Georges Clemenceau, prime minister of France - met to discuss the peace settlements which were to end World War One.

Dr MacMillan has a great voice. I felt like she was speaking to me - not reading a script. Excellent articulation and enunciation. I am finding myself listening to this one again and again, from different start points. My friends at work are amazed by how much I now know about this important event in modern history. If Dr MacMillan comes up with another title - I'm buying it. Wish I'd had professors as interesting as her in university...

I especially liked the small anecdotes Prof. MacMillan inserts in between the events. Her analysis of the personalities involved in the conference together with those anecdotes gives a human perspective to the decisions made in Paris in 1919.

A vital piece of history to understanding the world as it is today. Very well presented - nice pace and interestingly put. I listened to it a few months ago and only just realised that it comes with a pdf booklet of 65 pages which would be a good companion to the listening. Some maps in the booklet would be very helpful though.

This is probably my favorite history lecture of all time. MacMillan condenses hundreds of hours of research into insightful paragraphs, and she reveals why much of the world, from Europe to Africa, to the Middle East, is the way it is today. I don't believe I have ever read a book so rich with insights in every paragraph. For those who have already purchased and read the book 1919 in hardback, I would view this book as a companion volume, not an audio version of the same book. The books are not the same, but rather the audio version expands upon the themes found in the 1919 book. This book creates a sort of infrastructure of European and Middle Eastern history, so current events can be more clearly interpreted. A must for any student of history. I can only hope the author chooses to lend her power of insight to other periods of history.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Modern Scholar to be better than the print version?

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What other book might you compare The Modern Scholar to and why?

The Guns of August is an account of the first month of WW I. You get into the trenches and keep your head down. With Six Months That Changed the World... you sit down at the negotiating table and see how much of the political geography of the modern world was shaped at the end of WW I.

Which character – as performed by the narrator – was your favorite?

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Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

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Any additional comments?

Excellent history of the aftermath of WW I. Professor MacMillan keeps things moving at a brisk pace and covers all the details. I downloaded this set of lectures to my iPod, plugged my iPod into the auxiliary jack of my car and into drove from Ashland, Oregon to San Francisco, CA. Six hours later I arrived in San Francisco with no idea how I got there.

This was my first Modern Scholar audiobook - and really enjoyed it. If you do have an interest in politics and history or just if the political map of the modern world has always intrigued, then you will enjoy this and gain some perspective of the decisions that shaped the 20th century. An interesting nugget was how celebrated Woodrow Wilson was in Europe after the war - kinda like an Obamesque celebrity!

The format is excellent with the author reading the lectures, the author's voice gives extra intonation and feeling. The questions at the end of every lecture were rather jarring and did not seem genuine. The recording opened my eyes to the ill conceived and ingrained thought that this was just a peace with Germany.The defining of many new countries,altering borders and ethnic make up without the opinions of the inhabitants, in many cases, produced a festering cancer for which we are paying the price today. The problems in the Middle East are mainly based on these neatly ruled lines for boundaries. I had never thought or realised that when it was time for Germany to sign the treaty, the Allied Powers most likely did not have the power or will to invade Germany.The ongoing neurosis of France of being attacked is cleverly expanded and lays the foundation for the formation of the European Union to overcome this.. Would the SecondWar have been prevented if the U.S.A had ratified the treaty and guaranteed the peace by force? I now understand the subject so much better this lecture series should be made compulsory content for all political based education.

If you enjoy 20th century history, this is a good book to pick up. Much of what we think we know about the end of WWI (and thus later 20th century history) is not always completely accurate. Prof. MacMillan breaks it all down in an engaging and clear way. This is probably one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Really enjoyed it. And, I feel like I'm coming away with a much better understanding of what was to happen in later history, right up to the present day.

Set of lectures by MacMillan who wrote longer book of the same name. As compelling as it is important to understanding the modern world, especially Europe.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Burbag

4/1/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A revelation"

What did you like most about Six Months That Changed the World?

It told a coherent story which resonates today. European imperialism of the early twentieth century has major repercussions today

Who was your favorite character and why?

The vanity of the then European powers dominate the book. Miscalculation on every side was the dominant motif which was encapsulated in the Paris Peace Conference

What about the narrator’s performance did you like?

The informal but precise delivery. It helped one understand a very complex scenario

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My reaction was despair. Human beings seem intent on self destruction. And mass destruction can now be an end in itself. Technology offers the ultimate cataclysm

Any additional comments?

A great read. To understand the world we now live in this is the essential primer

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Oliver Moor

1/3/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Vital to listen to"

This book is essential. If you want an understanding of how the world has taken the direction it has, give it a go - understanding the mechanics of WW1 is important, but the political decision s made afterwards are much more so. The author (and narrator) gets her points across welll - the book is well structured, beautifully read and benefits from multiple listenings. A really excellent choice.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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